Knitting machine lubricator



Nov. 15, 1949 E. ST. PIERRE KNITTING MACHINE LUBRICATOR Filed April 25, 1948- fA VENTWE/ [1/65 SIR ERR Patented Nov. 15, 1949 KNITTING MACHINE LUBRICATOR Eugene St. Pierre, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 23, 1948, Serial No. 22,912

4 Claims. (01. 66-407) This invention relates to .lubricators and more particularly to lubricators. for circular, independent needle, knitting machines.

As is well known, inmachines of'this type the sinkers have independent,longitudinal movements in slotsv in the stitch ringwhioh is fastened to the top of the cylinder. The needles also move longitudinally in theicylinder slots. To reduce friction it has beengfound necessary to lubricate both sinkers and needles. This has been done by squirting oil from an oil can upon the sinkers through an available opening in the sinker cap and depending upon this lubrication of the sinkers for the lubrication of the needles also. If the lubrication of the sinkers is properly regulated, this system is satisfactory but in practice such regulation .isimpossible. At'zthev time of oiling, the sinkers are invariably over-lubricated and some are missed and since the method is not automatic they all invariably become underlubricated. The only proper method of lubrication is one in which a measured amount of oil is applied automatically to the sinkers at measured times. The purpose of the present invention is to do this in an effective, simple and economical method. The lubrication system shown in the drawing described herein, although designed for use on the Banner type of circular knitting machine, may be used with the same convenience and success on other types of machines.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the lubricator proper and part of its operating mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view of the rest of the operating mechanism;

Fig. .3 is a plan view of that part of the operating mechanism which is shown in Fig. l as mounted upon the top of the lubricator proper; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of that part of the operating mechanism most directly concerned with regulating the flow of oil.

As shown in Fig. l, the lubricator proper consists of a reservoir I for lubricant between the bottom and top of which is sealed a hollow tube 2 through which extends a needle valve 3 which is normally urged downwardly by a spring 4 so that its lower end 5 normally closes the orifice 6 which connects with the interior of hollow tube 2. Lubricant is admitted to the interior of hollow tube 2 by an opening 1 which communicates with the interior of reservoir I. Below orifice 6 and communicating therewith is a sealed chamher 8 hav ng a transparent wall through which the discharge of lubricant from orifice 6can be observed. Chamber 8 also communicates with a tube 9, the far end ID of which extends to apoint below which the sinkers II are exposed sothat lubricant passing through the tube will drop upon the sinkers.

Needle valve 3 extends above reservoir I and terminates in a yoke I2 throughwhich passes a slide I3 capable of longitudinal movement in bearings l4 and i5. Yoke I2 is also provided with a screw l6 which projects into theinterior of the yoke I2 above slide 13.

As best seen in Fig. 4 the upper edge of slide I 3 is provided with a camming surface having a high part I1 and a low part l8. Since slide I3'is longitudinally slidable it is possible to bring either high part H or low part l8'beneath screw i6. When screw i6 is opposed to low part It, it may be adjusted so that needle Valve 3 closes orifice 6 and no oil can flow towards the sinkers; When high part H of slide 13 is brought under screw I6 the screw is raised and, through yoke l2, the needle valve 3 is also raised. Consequently, orifice 6 is opened and lubricant can flow through it and through tube 9 to lubricate the sinkers. By adjusting the screw It, the rate of passage of lubricant through orifice 6 can be regulated within limits. If screw l6 rests upon low part l8 of slide l3 when orifice 6 is closed, the full lift of which the device is capable is obtained when screw [6 is transferred to high point IT. A lesser lift can be obtained by backing oiT screw "5 so that when it is opposed to low part [8 it does not touch it so that the extent of opening of orifice 6 will be reduced. A further adjustment of needle valve 3 is provided through set screw [9 in yoke l2 which permits the needle valve to be adjusted up or down within the yoke thus varying the position of its end 5 in relation to orifice 6.

It is intended that the lubricator shall be discharging lubricant whenever the machine is in operation at, say, one drop every two minutes or at any other desired rate. In consequence, a drop will fall upon the sinkers from the end ID of tube 9 once every two minutes. Since it is exceedingl unlikely that the rotation of the sinkers will synchronize with the dropping of oil all of the sinkers will be uniformly and properly lubricated by this device.

Since the lubricator is to be in operation whenever the machine is running and should, of course, be inoperative when the machine is idle, operating mechanism controlled from the belt shipper is provided. In the drawings, this is shown as a bell crank 20, the upper arm 2! of "which operably engages a pin 22 in the right end of slide I3. The lower arm 23 of bell crank 20 is pivotally connected to a rod 24 which in turn is connected to a lever 25 which connects with another rod 26. Rod 26 connects with a rocker 21 mounted upon a fixed base 28 and is provided with a roller 29 which runs upon a camming slide 30 forming a part of the belt shipper. When roller 29 is on the low portion 3| of slide 30 slide I3 is pulled to the left by spring 32 so that the orifice B is closed and no lubricant can flow. This is the condition when the shipper has moved the belt to the idle pulley so that the machine is idle. When the shipper shifts the belt to a driving pulley slide 33 moves with it so that high part 33 of slide 30 lifts roller 29 to the dotted position 29. This operates the linkage described to move slide I3 to the right so that screw l6 and, consequently, needle valve 3 is lifted by high portion I! of the slide. This opens the needle valve a predetermined amount and permits the predetermined amount of lubricant to flow through tube 9.

The timing and extent by which slide I3 is shifted by the operating mechanism just described can be regulated by rods 24 and 26 which, as will be evident from Figs. 1 and 2, are adjustable as to length.

This mechanism, which is economical and simple to manufacture and install, insures adequate and continuous lubrication of the sinkers and through them the needles throughout the running of the machine. Because of the absence of synchronization between the speed of rotation of the sinkers and the rate of discharge of the drops of lubricant, all of the sinkers will be positively and properly lubricated.

I claim: I 1

1. A lubricator for a circular knitting machine having a starting and stopping mechanism, which comprises a reservoir, an outlet from said reservoir, a needle valve in said outlet, a cam on said 4 start and stop mechanism and a member operable by said cam, connections between said member and said needle valve through which movement of said mechanism to start and stop the machine is transmitted to said needle valve to open and close it.

2. A lubricator for a circular knitting machine accordingto claim 1 in which said connections include asli'dable member having a cam surface, whereby operation of said start and stop mechanism causes a simultaneous movement of said slidable member to open said needle valve or permit it to close coincidentally respectively with the starting and stopping of the machine.

3. A device for a circular, knitting machine comprising a reservoir for lubricant, an outlet therefor, a needleunit for opening and closing said outlet, said unit being associated with a cam assembly having a sliding cam bar operable to raise and lower said needle unit, and connecting mechanisms from said cam bar to a camron the start and stopmechanism of said machine whereby said needle unit is operated by the operation of said start and stop mechanism to open and close said outlet.

4. A device for a circular knitting machine according to claim 3 in which the needle unitiis provided with an adjustable means whereby the amount which said needle unit is raised can be varied.

EUGENE ST. PIERRE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Miller Jan. 28, 1947 

